Blood in His Palm; In Prosperity, Help the World

When he heard Ning Fengzhi's question.

Chen Xin did not answer.

Instead, he looked at Bone Douluo Gu Rong and pointed toward Ning Rongrong.

"Rongrong has feelings for that boy."

"She was even willing to die for him. You old bag of bones, do you want to watch Rongrong die?"

"Besides..."

"That boy didn't hide behind Rongrong like a coward. His character wasn't too bad, so I took pity on him."

"Most importantly."

Chen Xin held his palm out before Ning Fengzhi.

Ning Fengzhi looked closely.

On that palm, smooth as jade, there was now a nearly invisible speck of blood.

"Fengzhi, didn't you ask me how that sword strike was?"

"What do you think?"

As Ning Fengzhi looked at that speck of blood, his breathing abruptly stopped for half an instant, his pupils suddenly dilating.

Bone Douluo Gu Rong leaned his head over, looked at the speck of blood, and laughed without restraint. "Hahahaha! You sword bastard, a student actually wounded you?"

"You're really going backward with age!"

"If I'd gone, I could have twisted that boy's head off and kicked it like a ball!"

Chen Xin ignored him and continued speaking to Ning Fengzhi. "How was that sword strike?"

Ning Fengzhi tightened his grip on his cane. Rather than praise Lu Ning outright, he spoke in an impartial tone.

"It was indeed inconceivable."

"A Soul Ancestor actually managed to wound you."

"That sword strike did indeed have a little of your style."

Chen Xin withdrew his hand, and the speck of blood in his palm instantly vanished.

"I'm not a Titled Douluo who specializes in defense."

"But I did use the Seven Killings Avatar, and I took a defensive stance. For that boy to wound me with that sword strike was no simple feat. That was the fundamental reason he survived."

"Old Bones and I are both getting on in years."

"If Rongrong takes on the sect in the future, you'll have to leave her a Sect-Protector Douluo, won't you?"

"A genius who comes right to our door and has such close ties to Rongrong should be more reliable than a genius we painstakingly nurture ourselves, shouldn't he?"

Chen Xin's words exaggerated Lu Ning's abilities somewhat.

The windup for Lu Ning's sword strike had been far too long.

And he only had that one strike.

But he was only twelve this year. His future was immeasurably bright, and he deserved those words of praise from Chen Xin.

Ning Fengzhi tapped his cane lightly against the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's bluestone tiles, producing a series of clicks. When he first received the news, he had indeed wanted to kill Lu Ning.

But after Lu Ning displayed his talent.

He, too, had grown reluctant to waste it.

Just as Chen Xin had said.

No matter how powerful a support-type Soul Master was, they needed a powerful Battle Soul Master at their side. Otherwise, they were merely meat on a chopping board, at anyone's mercy.

"Then we'll do as Uncle Jian says."

"Let's watch him for five years."

Ning Rongrong's departure did not bring peace to Shrek Academy.

Instead, because of Lu Ning's sword strike the night before.

The entire academy began training as though they had been injected with chicken blood.

Yu Xiaogang soon woke after anger overwhelmed him, but he no longer approached Lu Ning on his own. He only maintained regular training with Tang San and Xiao Wu, who were willing to follow him.

Zhu Zhuqing worked even harder, spending time with Lu Ning almost every night, partly for the Wine Gourd's enhancement, and partly to "seek guidance" from Lu Ning on his experience.

It made Lu Ning's Soul Power grow even faster.

In less than a week.

Lu Ning's Soul Power reached a bottleneck. He was only one suitable Soul Ring away from becoming a Soul King.

Lust was a Heart-Soothing Beauty!

"Brother Ning!" Ma Hongjun ran back from the village entrance, waving the Gold Soul Coins he had just earned at the Great Soul Arena as he addressed Lu Ning excitedly. "Brother Ning, are you coming? I found a way to make money."

Lu Ning raised an eyebrow. "What way?"

"You want to open an unlicensed brothel so you can give yourself a discount and save money?"

Ma Hongjun waved his hands repeatedly. "How much could that save? I found a new team in the Great Soul Arena, called something like the Imperial Fighting Team. They've been winning nonstop at the Soto Great Soul Arena."

"All we have to do is bet on them, and we can sit back and rake in the money."

"Don't you have a lot of funds on you?"

"Take it all out, and the two of us can make a fortune."

"Or."

"We Shrek people can bet on ourselves and take down that so-called Imperial Fighting Team!"

Ma Hongjun blinked. He knew Lu Ning was rich; he had even given Dean Flender a retirement fund earlier.

Lu Ning, however, had little interest in making money.

The Imperial Fighting Team, on the other hand.

According to the original plot.

The Imperial Fighting Team's winning streak nearly bankrupted the Soto Great Soul Arena. With no other choice, the arena invited the Shrek Seven Devils to intervene, and only then did they barely manage to break the Imperial Fighting Team's winning streak.

They saved the Soto Great Soul Arena.

But given the current situation.

Shrek Academy could not even assemble all Seven Monsters. If the Imperial Fighting Team kept winning unchecked, the Soto Great Soul Arena would have to close for a while.

"Not interested."

Lu Ning answered with a yawn.

Its closure had little to do with him anyway.

Zhu Zhuqing and the others still had a long time before graduation.

Meeting the requirements was only a matter of time.

Besides...

Even if Lu Ning wanted to make a fortune off the Imperial Fighting Team, he could not gather enough people.

Ning Rongrong had left.

The Seven Monsters were down to six.

And he was already a Soul Ancestor.

His Azure Lotus Sword Martial Soul also had four rings, making a matchup against the Imperial Fighting Team, whose members were all in the Soul Elder Realm, impossible.

Unless he only used his Second Martial Soul, the Wine Gourd, which had just three rings.

But the colors of his Second Martial Soul Wine Gourd's Soul Rings were equally striking, and it was not as suited to combat as the Azure Lotus Sword. If he really entered the arena, winning would be relatively difficult.

There was no need.

"All right."

Ma Hongjun's face fell.

Missing a chance to make money meant he was another step further from keeping the twins as mistresses.

Lu Ning gave him a light kick, preparing to send him away.

A familiar aura soared into the sky from within the academy.

The two turned to look.

"Dean?" Without the slightest hesitation, Ma Hongjun ran toward Flender's office, practically without looking back. Lu Ning likewise rose and ran in that direction.

He was even somewhat faster than Ma Hongjun.

Flender pushed open the door and walked out.

The smile on his face looked as though he had swindled someone out of several million.

It was practically welded onto his face.

"Good, very good." Flender patted his two disciples on the shoulders. "Xiao Ning, that thing you gave me was truly excellent."

"I never expected your teacher to break through this bottleneck so quickly."

"I really didn't raise you two for nothing."

Lu Ning rolled his eyes at him.

He immediately realized that Flender's breakthrough had come from absorbing the eighty-thousand-year Death Blood Tree Soul Bone.

Fine, you leveled up.

Did you have to make such a huge commotion?

I gained ten levels in less than a month. Did I make as much noise as you?

"Teacher, was that really necessary?"

"You gave us a fright. I thought I was about to inherit Shrek Academy."

Lu Ning teased him.

A familiar system voice immediately rang out in his mind.

[In poverty, cultivate yourself; in wealth, help the world.]

[Do not feel inferior for humble beginnings; repay your teacher's kindness and never forget your roots.]

[The time has come for the Wealth Option's special reward distribution!]

[You may randomly receive one item from among God-bestowed Soul Rings, Gold Soul Coins accepted throughout the continent, Soul Bones, weapons, divine objects, and other options.]

[This distribution's reward is...]